International Relations and International Organization

One world, 7 billion people, 193 sovereign states, over 6,000 (Non-)Governmental Organizations, 1,000s of multinationals, all tied up in complex processes of dis/integration, cooperation and conflict.

International Relations as a discipline is almost a century old.
About its origins different interpretations exist, but in general
IR emerged in response to the consequences of power politics in
Europe, culminating in the First World War, and in response to
specific research questions within Political Science. IR in Europe
started as an interdisciplinary project, IR in Groningen still
follows this tradition.

International Relations and International Organization, a track
of the Master's in International Relations, offers a comprehensive
study in theory and practice. Theretofore, IRIO uses a
'self-service' model. Besides the mandatory course on advanced
theory and the master thesis, you can select from specialized
capita and research seminars in five essential areas of
Internationals Relations: International Security, International
Political Economy, European Integration, Geopolitics &
Connectivity and East Asian Studies. Moreover, to prepare for an
international career you can organize an placement at a public or
private organization in the field of international relations, where
you can apply your knowledge and skills in a 'real-time'
environment.

One world, 7 billion people, 193 sovereign states, over 6,000 (Non-)Governmental Organizations, 1,000s of multinationals, all tied up in complex processes of dis/integration, cooperation and conflict.

International Relations as a discipline is almost a century old.
About its origins different interpretations exist, but in general
IR emerged in response to the consequences of power politics in
Europe, culminating in the First World War, and in response to
specific research questions within Political Science. IR in Europe
started as an interdisciplinary project, IR in Groningen still
follows this tradition.

International Relations and International Organization, a track
of the Master's in International Relations, offers a comprehensive
study in theory and practice. Theretofore, IRIO uses a
'self-service' model. Besides the mandatory course on advanced
theory and the master thesis, you can select from specialized
capita and research seminars in five essential areas of
Internationals Relations: International Security, International
Political Economy, European Integration, Geopolitics &
Connectivity and East Asian Studies. Moreover, to prepare for an
international career you can organize a placement at a public or
private organization in the field of international relations, where
you can apply your knowledge and skills in a 'real-time'
environment.

The experience of doing a placement demonstrated my ability to
adapt to different demands and environments, and produce quality
output even when under pressure. In addition to this, I was able to
learn more about the intellectual element of CESS itself –
namely Security Sector Reform (SSR)..

By also being able to visit these countries, I was further
inundated with some of the security challenges faced by the
surrounding regions and what measures were being taken to alleviate
the issues. The internship allowed me to explore a different strand
of an area of familiarity (Burundi), ultimately assisting my
thesis-writing process. On a side note, during the internship
itself, a letter I submitted to The Economist (on what constituted
a “state”, whilst mentioning Burundi) was published on
their website and in that week’s print edition.

Without a doubt, I enjoyed traveling abroad to two different
countries and representing CESS at two High-Level events. It gave
me an unparalleled insight into the lifestyle of a
“high-flyer”, proven by my having to work on the train
to Schiphol and even on the aircraft itself! But aside from the
trips, I enjoyed working as part of an accepted member of a
close-knit group of people. This allowed me to contribute
constructively to the teams ideas and objectives. Read
more

The University of Groningen (UG) is an admirable university
where to pursue your aspirations while studying. For bachelor
students, rigorous trainings on theories and methodologies are
completed to get into more advanced studies. For master students,
emphasis is put on developing one's ability to research
independently with small seminars where every student can receive
one-on-one coaching.

From a prestigious reputation for its high educational quality
to attentive academic training around the world, the UG still
strives to show its students it is always underway to improve its
educational quality and assorted academic facilities. After the
completion of a studying period, students always receive an email
to evaluate the classes they took and the professors in charge as
well as to provide suggestions on the administrative work of their
departments.

I work as a junior policy officer for the Dutch Labour Party
(PvdA) in the House of Representatives of the Netherlands. I
support different MPs in the areas of development aid and foreign
affairs. I like the fact that I work on current issues that you
hear in the news and get to meet interesting people with various
different jobs. I also like the fact that development aid is the
main focus of my work, as it was during my studies.

I chose the Master’s track in International Relations and
International Organization because it offered a good combination of
international relations and politics, as well as paying plenty of
attention to development aid, which I am very interested in.
Furthermore, the programme covers very diverse topics, and it is
very useful to be able to learn another language alongside
English.

During the track I learned most from my placement, which taught
me how to put the theory into practice. I also learned practical
skills like writing reports, which I still use in my current
job.

I hope to continue working in development aid, maybe at a
non-governmental organization. I also hope to work abroad for a
while.

I choose to do an internship in support of the Transition
Support Team (TST) of the United Nations Development Programme in
Sierra Leone. My task was to support the TST in the daily
management of the Transition Initiative Fund (TIF). The main
objective of the Transition Initiative Fund (TIF) is to support the
implementation of the Local Government Act (2004) and in particular
build the capacity of the Local Councils to deliver their broad
mandate of decentralized service delivery.

After finalizing his Master in International Relations, RUG
alumnus Sander IJmker moved to The Hague and now works as Project
Assistant at the International Organization for Migration (IOM
– the UN Migration Agency) country office in the Netherlands.
He talks about his work and how his studies and time at the
University of Groningen contributed to his current position.

I studied Politics at UCL and then moved to Turkey to work for
the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – the UN
Migration Agency in Ankara. After working in Turkey for three
years, I decided that I wanted to deepen my understanding of how
international organizations shape current world politics and more
particularly, I wanted to specialize in the issues of
migration.

I have 9 hours of lectures spread across three days of a week,
but I spend at least twice as much time studying in the library.
The classes and the readings are a weekly challenge, that require
my full concentration, patience and dedication; but at the end of
each week, I find myself challenging my conceptions, realizing that
all the efforts put in understanding different theories, concepts
and knowledge are affecting my understanding of the world
events.